Tradition's Finest Episode 84 - "The Randy Moss Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 84 - “The Randy Moss Episode” includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - Miscellaneous: It was announced last week that College Football analyst Lee Corso will be retiring from ESPN's "College Gameday" program in late August - - Corso, who had been a part of the College Gameday crew since the year, 1987, will turn 90 years old in early August, is widely known for his legendary "headgear" picks & his "not so fast, my friend" retort when he disagreed with a member of the panel. . .Out of his 430 headgear selections dating back to October 1996, it's no surprise to learn that the Ohio State Buckeyes, who have remained a pinnacle to the sport of college football, have received the most headgear selections by Lee Corso (45) - - Alabama came in at No.2 with 38 headgear selections, LSU at No.3 with 25 selections, and Florida & Oregon at No.4 and No.5, respectively, with 22 and 21 selections. . .An interesting fact about Lee Corso is that, throughout many of his segments on the show "College Gameday," he was branding one of those infamous, school-bus-yellow No.2 pencils - - but Why? In the offseason, Corso was actually held the job title of Director of Business Development for the company Dixon Ticonderoga, which specialized in crafting those famous No.2 pencils ✏️. . .Corso's final broadcast will occur on the date of August 30th, ESPN announced late last week - but prior to being the most recognizable character on the set of the show, Corso spent 28 years as a college & pro football head coach - which included 15 years at Louisville University, Indiana University & Northern Illinois University. . .Prior to becoming a head football coach or a college football analyst, Lee Corso played college football at Florida State University for the Seminoles, which is where he gained the nickname of the "Sunshine Scooter.". .In the eyes of the Tradition's Finest Podcast, Lee Corso is forever a legend & he most certainly will forever be remembered. . .as the older man that dressed up as Notre Dame's mascot, the leprechaun, and did the Irish jig on national television - and for THAT, we thank YOU, sir!. . . - NCAA: News & Storylines: NCAA College Basketball: Bryce James, the youngest son of Laker star LeBron James, has officially signed his letter of intent to play for the Arizona Wildcats next season - - James, a 6-foot-4 guard is a three-star prospect out of Southern California's Sierra Canyon school - and is currently ranked as the No.257th player among the Class of 2025 according to the 24/7 Sports composite rankings - - Along with James' commitment, the Wildcats have incoming one of its' best recruiting classes after signing Gilbert Perry & McDonald's High School All-Americans, Koa Peat & Brayden Burries. . .Q: While it's a shame that LeBron James only graced us with TWO sons, what is Bryce James' ceiling? Is his ceiling higher or lower than his older brother, Bronny James?. . .University of Memphis star guard & 2024-25 AAC Conference Player of the Year PJ Haggerty, who was the nation's 3^rd leading scorer in the NCAA last season, has entered the NCAA transfer portal - - and he is "in search of" a $4 million dollar NIL deal (but that's not ALL!) - - Haggerty's agent has also reported that he prefers to play primarily at the point guard position when he is on the court. . .Let's play "Three Truth's & a Lie ". . .1. Haggerty averaged >20 points per game the two seasons he spent at TCU; 2. After transferring in 2023, Haggerty averaged 21.2 points per game at the University of Tulsa; 3. Last season, Haggerty averaged 21.7 points per game at the University of Memphis; A Straight Up LIE: College basketball players should be out here demanding millions & millions of dollars for "their services" or "their talent" on the basketball court. . . .According to The Field of 68 sports reporter Jeff Goodman on his podcast on Monday night - "They [Memphis] don't have the money to pay PJ Haggerty that type of money [$4M],". . .Q: What are your thoughts on the PJ Haggerty's $4 million NIL deal request? While mostly speculation, if reporter Jeff Goodman is correct about Memphis & their inability to afford to pay PJ Haggerty, which college schools (or programs) do you think are most likely to enter the sweepstakes for a player of his caliber?. . .Former NCAA Scoring Champion & the No.10 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Jimmer Fredette, announced his retirement from the sport of basketball on Wednesday afternoon - - Fredette, who played for the BYU Cougars, was, without debate, one of the best shooters of all-time at the collegiate level. . .Q: Should Jimmer Fredette join Ice Cube's BIG3 Basketball League?. . .*Let Us Know What You Think - Share Your Thoughts with Us via X - @Tradition.Finest OR Send Us a Message via Email to [email protected]!!. . .NCAA College Football: On Sunday, it became "Instagram Official" - University of Tennessee transfer QB Nico Iamaleava committed to UCLA, which set into motion a chain of events that would light the college football world on fire - after his commitment was official, a day later, Bruins QB Joey Aguilar, who had joined the team through the winter portal, announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal: this would lead to the first ever "QB trade" or "QB swap" in college football history - With one year of eligibility left, Aguilar would travel to Knoxville, and commit to the the University of Tennessee, as reported per ESPN. . .According to Sportsbook, Volunteers QB Joey Aguilar (+4500) has nearly double the odds to win next year's Heisman trophy over UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava (+8000). . .On the following day, on Monday, it was reported that University of Arkansas QB Madden Iamaleava, Nico's younger brother, was also set to transfer to UCLA - - which has led to the University of Arkansas now threatening legal action against Madden after he signed an NIL deal with the program without ever playing a single snap - Obviously, the University of Tennessee also could become involved as Nico originally signed a $10M NIL deal while he was a high school recruit. . .Q: How wild would it be if the Iamaleava bros were forced by litigation to provide their former college programs with every cent of their current NIL deal with the Bruins?. . . - NFL: Former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick is reportedly "still training for an NFL return" according to his longtime partner/girlfriend Nessa Diab. . .Kaepernick has not played professionally in the NFL in over a decade, but he is still training for "a comeback?". . As reported to TMZ Sports per Diab, Kaepernick is "busting his ass in the gym, training regularly, hoping an NFL GM will give him a shot to show he's still got what it takes to lead [an NFL] football team. All day, Every day!". . .Kaepernick last worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 but was not signed, and prior to that, in 2020, he was invited to a Seattle Seahawks workout session, but walked away without an NFL offer. . .Q: Realistically, after being out of the league for nearly a decade - as well as his controversial status within the league - do you think Colin Kaepernick will ever play in the NFL again?. . .Every once in awhile, there is a storyline in the media that reminds you that reporters are humans, and that humility is still alive - - It was announced on Tuesday that Travis Hunter's father - Travis Hunter Sr. - has been given permission by the court to attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, WI, where he will have the opportunity to witness his son walk up on the stage after being drafted into the league - - Hunter Sr., who is currently serving his three-year probation sentence stemming from a 2023 arrest on gun & drug charges - which prevented him from attending the Heisman Trophy ceremony - where his son would win the most prestigous award in the sport. . . - NBA: Former four-time NBA All-Star PG Kemba Walker is returning to the court this summer as he has reportedly joined Ice Cube's BIG3 Basketball league. . .Kemba is joining Dwight Howard as the most recent former NBA players to sign agreements to play in its eighth season - While it remains unclear which team he will play for this upcoming season, the league has recently announced a new team lineup that features eight city-based clubs for the 2025 season, which will tip off on Flag Day (or June 14th) 2025. . .Fast-forward to the following Monday following the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the WCF NBA Play-In Tournament Game, Mavericks' GM Nico Harrison held an official off-camera "End-of-Season-News (or Press)-Conference," which was an event scheduled primarily for a select group of Dallas-based reporters - - After the fourth or fifth question about the Luka Doncic trade, Harrison revealed that he had hoped to be done talking about [the trade] by now, and he would go on to admit that he miscalculated the love the city/franchise had for Luka before he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. . .Harrison was asked directly why he shouldn't be fired, defended the rationale behind the trade, promised a championship contender next season & eventually admitted he underestimated the backlack trading Doncic would generate, particularly by the team's supporters and/or fan base. . .Q: Based on the current Mavs' roster as they head into the NBA Offseason, including the starting five that GM Nico Harrison mentioned as a "championship caliber team," (i.e., Kyrie, Klay, PJ, AD & Dereck Lively) what are the chances that the Mavericks finish next season with an above .500 record? If the Mavericks struggle next season, will the team owner be forced to fire Harrison?. . .Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton was named the "most overrated" player on Tuesday in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic - after earning 14.4% of the vote, beating out T-Wolves C Rudy Gobert & Hawks G Trae Young. . .Haliburton's points, rebounds & assists have declined this season in comparison to past seasons - and he failed to make the All-Star Game for the first time since joining the Pacers - Q: But is this the primary reason for the percentage boost (after Haliburton received only 3.4% of the vote in 2024)?. . .Boston Celtics' Payton Pritchard was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year on Tuesday evening - - Pritchard has been a constant source of energy & production for the Celtics the past two seasons, primarily coming off the bench. . .He finished with 82 out of the 100 available first-place votes & was the only player to appear on every ballot, and averaged more than 28 minutes per game throughout the NBA regular season. . . - NBA Playoff Recap: JD & Spencer analyze & discuss the NBA Playoff games, or those games played in the first round of both the Eastern & Western Conferences; this episode features a breakdown & discussion of the following game(s) that occurred between Sunday (4/19) & Tuesday (4/21) nights: Game 1: No.4 Indiana Pacers vs. No.5 Milwaukee Bucks Game 1: No.3 NY Knicks vs. No.6 Detroit Pistons Game 1: No.4 Denver Nuggets vs. No.5 LA Clippers Game 1: No.3 LA Lakers vs. No.6 Minnesota Timberwolves Game 1: No.2 Boston Celtics vs. No.7 Orlando Magic Game 1: No.1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No.8 Miami Heat Game 1: No.1 OKC Thunder vs. No.8 Memphis Grizzlies Game 1: No.2 Houston Rockets vs. No.7 Golden State Warriors Game 2: No.3 NY Knicks vs. No.6 Detroit Pistons Game 2: No.4 Denver Nuggets vs. No.5 LA Clippers Game 2: No.4 Indiana Pacers vs. No.5 Milwaukee Bucks Game 2: No.1 OKC Thunder vs. No.8 Memphis Grizzlies Game 2: No.3 LA Lakers vs. No.6 Minnesota Timberwolves Thanks for Listening!